


Celebration

by notmyyacht



Series: I Won't Run, I Won't Fly [2]
Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Angst, M/M, Okay Maybe a Little Sorry, i'm still a monster, not sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-01
Updated: 2015-07-01
Packaged: 2018-04-07 02:14:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4245642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notmyyacht/pseuds/notmyyacht
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bella calls him out of the blue.</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>A sequel to "Visit," but can stand alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Celebration

Bella calls him out of the blue. It's a short conversation and Barba isn't sure he's glad or not to hear her voice. He tells her he is.

"It's just... it's his birthday, y'know?" Barba can hear the trembling in her voice, the attempt to hold back tears. She continues, "I just needed to talk to someone. He loved you a lot."

Barba's grip on the phone tightens and his jaw clenches. He wishes she wasn't telling him this, but he lets her continue.

"I still wake up and think that he's gonna call and tell me how work is." Bella breaks into a sob on the other end and Barba almost wants to hang up. "Do you think," she continues, "we could meet up today and do something? I just... I can't stay in the house all day."

Half an hour later, Barba meets Bella just outside Central Park across from the Museum of Natural History. They don't go into the museum or the park. Instead, they find the nearest cafe and take a seat.

With a small smile, Bella makes a comment about Barba's double shot of espresso. Barba retaliates with, "You and your brother both need to get off my back about my caffeine intake." Bella laughs. Neither correct Barba's use of present tense.

It's the only time they mention Sonny.

Bella starts with a comment about how windy and cold it is. "Winter is coming," she jokes, trying to lighten the mood. Barba forces a smile to humor her. She goes on to talk about how the baby and Tommy are doing. How grown up Tommy is compared to when she first met him. She asks Barba about his life. Barba has nothing to report. He doesn't tell her that he buries himself in work more than he used to, how he rarely calls his mother, and he definitely does not tell her that this is his first time properly socializing with anyone in months.

Just as Barba is ready to pay and leave, Bella suggests they have cake.

"Nothing big, just a cupcake. They make them too big for one person here anyway," she says. Barba wants to tell her no, he can't, even a cupcake is too much.

"Alright."

Bella quickly flags down their waiter and requests the cupcake.

"Double chocolate and do you do birthdays here?" she asks him. Barba looks down into his cup, listening to the two speak.

"We don't do birthday parties, but we do have candles," he replies.

"That'll be perfect."

Barba is half a second from calling the waiter back to please not put a candle on the damn cupcake. Just as he raises his head to do so, his eyes connect with Bella's. He understands, she needs this, she needs to celebrate. Barba shuts his mouth and pushes the thought away. They don't speak until the cupcake is brought out a few minutes later, the candle unlit.

The waiter places it in-between the two, takes out a lighter, and, after two tries, lights the bright blue candle up.

"I'm glad they don't make a big stink of it here," Bella comments as soon as the waiter is gone. Barba doesn't smile, doesn't even stop staring at the small flame.

"Who's going to blow it out?" he asks. Bella stares at the flame with him, her brow knitted as if she hadn't thought that far ahead.

The candle and cupcake go untouched for about five minutes until the cafe door opens and a gust of cold wind rages in. Barba is angry when the flame is blown out, but he doesn't show it.


End file.
